STAAR EOC English II Released 2016

STAAR

State of Texas

Assessments of

Academic Readiness

English II

Administered March 2016

RELEASED

written permission from the Texas Education Agency.

WRITING

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Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question. Then fill in

theansweronyouranswerdocument.

Byron wrote the following paper about a significant archaeological discovery. Read

Byron’s paper and think about the revisions he should make. Then answer the

questions that follow.

Lost City Discovered

(1) There was once a grand city on the northeast coast of the Mediterranean

Sea near Egypt. (2) Known as Thonis to the Egyptians and Heracleion to the Greeks,

the metropolis was supposedly one of extraordinary wealth. (3) Some records

indicate that Helen of Troy visited the area before the Trojan War. (4) Founded

around 700

B.C., it thrived for centuries and then allegedly disappeared into the

depths of the ocean. (5) However, because no trace of Thonis-Heracleion had ever

been found, it became more of a legend than a reality.

(6) In 2000, French archaeologist Franck Goddio and a team of researchers

were meticulously surveying an area in the Mediterranean near the Egyptian shore.

(7) They hoped to find proof that the legendary city existed. (8) As divers sifted

through layers of sand and mud, they discovered some extraordinarily well-preserved

relics of an ancient city. (9) It was Thonis-Heracleion.

(10) In cooperation with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities,

Goddio’s team began to carefully survey and excavate the underwater city. (11) The

artifacts they discovered revealed a city as grand as its legend. (12) At the center of

the city stood a large temple, just as ancient historians had described. (13) A

network of canals and channels stretched out from the temple. (14) Researchers

believe that Thonis-Heracleion would have been the first stop for foreign merchants

at the Egyptian border.

(15) Investigators also discovered three enormous, 16-foot statues lying on

the seafloor. (16) One was identified as the Egyptian god Hapi. (17) The other two

were thought to be a pharaoh and a goddess. (18) Hundreds of smaller statues and

religious charms were found scattered on the seafloor. (19) Perfectly preserved and

intact slabs of stone, engraved in both Egyptian and Greek, were also excavated

from the site. (20) Writings on the stones confirmed that they had been placed at

Thonis-Heracleion. (21) “The archaeological evidence is simply overwhelming,”

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remarked Sir Barry Cunliffe, a professor at the University of Oxford. (22) Regarding

the wealth of artifacts found, Cunliffe added, “By lying untouched and protected by

sand on the seafloor for centuries, they are brilliantly preserved.”

(23) Scientists aren’t sure why Thonis-Heracleion disappeared into the water.

(24) There’s no certainty regarding this issue. (25) Some think that a rise in sea

level combined with unstable sediment might have been the reason. (26) Others

suggest that an earthquake was responsible. (27) Still others believe that it might

have been a combination of these factors. (28) As the study of the site continues,

researchers are learning more and more about this remarkable city and the period in

which it thrived.

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1 The meaning of sentence 4 is unclear. Byron can improve the clarity of this sentence by

changing it to —

A the famous Trojans

B the magnificent city

C the extreme wealth

D the historical record

Byron would like to add a sentence to the end of the first paragraph (sentences 1–5) to help

transition into the ideas in the second paragraph (sentences 6–9). Which sentence can be

added after sentence 5 to help accomplish this goal?

F It was difficult to say whether the ancient city was real or had just been a figment of

someone’s imagination.

G But one day, as so often happens, everything changed, and it changed rapidly and

excitingly and permanently.

H Because no one could definitively prove that it had ever existed, people had trouble

believing that it actually had.

J Aside from the historical references mentioned above, Thonis-Heracleion was essentially

forgotten—that is, until recently.

3 Byron has offered a weak thesis for his paper. Which of the following could replace sentence 9

and provide a more effective thesis statement for this paper?

A Before long they realized that they had found the city of Thonis-Heracleion.

B In time they realized that they had actually found what was a very ancient city.

C At first no one knew exactly what had been discovered, but there was plenty of curiosity.

D In the end it just happened to be the place and the city of Thonis-Heracleion.

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4 Which of these sentences could best follow sentence 13 and provide additional support for the

main idea of the third paragraph (sentences 10–14)?

F In his research Goddio has collaborated with archaeologists, Egyptologists, historians,

geologists, geophysicists, computer engineers, and others.

G The remains of more than 60 ships, at least 700 ancient anchors, gold coins, and bronze,

lead, and stone weights indicate that the city was a major trading port in the eastern

Mediterranean.

H The city was probably an important entry port for trade into Egypt before it sank into the

Mediterranean Sea so many centuries ago.

J Some accounts suggest that both Helen of Troy and her lover, Paris, were stranded on the

island for a period of time as they hid from her Greek husband.

5 Byron would like to close with a relevant quotation that reiterates the main idea of this paper.

Which of these could follow sentence 28 and best accomplish this goal?

A Goddio writes, “I knew that I would never be able to undertake an exploration of this

scope by myself, and so, in 1987, I founded the European Institute of Underwater

Archaeology (IEASM), an independent organization supported by private patronage.”

B According to Damian Robinson, director of the Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology at

the University of Oxford, “It is a major city we are excavating.”

C “We are just at the beginning of our research,” Goddio remarked. “We will probably have

to continue working for the next 200 years for Thonis-Heracleion to be fully revealed and

understood.”

D “The statuettes allow us to examine their belief system and at the same time have wider

economic implications,” Oxford researcher Sanda Heinz commented. “These figures were

mass-produced at a scale hitherto unmatched in previous periods.”

6 There is a redundant sentence in the last paragraph (sentences 23–28). Which sentence

should be deleted from this paragraph?

F Sentence 24

G Sentence 25

H Sentence 26

J Sentence 27

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Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question. Then fill in

theansweronyouranswerdocument.

Joe wrote the following paper to tell about his favorite hobby. Read Joe’s paper and

look for ways he should revise it. When you have finished reading, answer the

questions that follow.

Catching a Wave

(1) On beaches around the world, from early in the morning to late at night, a

familiar ritual occurs. (2) Board-toting swimmers head for the water, lie down on

their fiberglass surfboards, and paddle far out into the ocean. (3) Once there, they

wait patiently for the perfect wave. (4) As soon as it comes, they spring to their

feet, balance themselves on their boards, and ride majestically to shore. (5) Then

they repeat the trip over and over and over again. (6) Who are these wave riders?

(7) They are surfers, and they would probably tell you that the sport isn’t as easy as

it looks. (8) Surfing requires certain materials, certain waves, and certain

personality traits.

(9) Before people can begin riding the waves, they must gather the necessary

equipment. (10) A surfboard, which can be selected from a wide range of weights

and styles, is needed first. (11) Beginners usually get lighter, more buoyant boards,

while experts choose heavier, more maneuverable boards. (12) Next comes

surfboard wax, a substance that is rubbed on the board to make it easier to grip.

(13) After that, a surfer may want to purchase a surfboard leash, a strap that

connects the board to one of the surfer’s ankles. (14) That way the board won’t get

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lost when the surfer falls off. (15) It takes a lot of practice to get really good at

surfing and not fall off. (16) And finally, surfers who plan to swim in cold water will

usually want to buy or rent a wetsuit to stay warm.

(17) Once surfers have the right equipment, they need to find a good place to

surf. (18) Figuring out where the best waves are requires both knowledge and

experience. (19) That’s because wave conditions change with the tide and weather.

(20) Some places, however, are known to be prime surfing spots. (21) These are

called breaks, and when surfers find one, they paddle their surfboards out into it and

the perfect wave for which they are patiently waiting. (22) Catching that wave at the

right time is difficult. (23) If surfers try to get up on a wave too early, they’ll fall

backward. (24) If they catch the wave too late, it will knock them over. (25) But if

they catch it at just the right time, they’ll feel the wave lifting them up on top of the

water.

(26) When surfers find the right location, balance, and timing, they get to the

part of surfing that makes all the effort worthwhile: riding the wave. (27) After

much practice they’ll learn to stand up on their board, balance it expertly on the

wave, and fly gracefully toward the beach.

(28) You might think that a person has to travel to some famous beach in

Hawaii or California to enjoy the sport of surfing. (29) That’s simply not the case.

(30) With more than 500 miles of coastline, people in Texas are offered ample

opportunity to surf right here in their home state. (31) And according to Duke

Kahanamoku, the man credited for bringing the sport from Hawaii to the U.S.

mainland, “The best surfer out there is the one having the most fun.”

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7 In sentence 5, the word trip is not the appropriate word to use. Which of the following should

replace trip in this sentence?

A standard

B process

C operation

journey

Joe would like to replace sentence 8 with a sentence that better articulates the thesis of his

paper. Which of the following will accomplish this goal?

F Surfing requires just the right equipment, careful observation of the waves, and the

patience to perfect a difficult skill.

G Surfing certainly requires specific materials, identified waves, and various personality

traits.

H Surfing requires people who are willing to think about the equipment, the waves, and their

own personality traits.

J Surfing requires people who care about the materials used, waves seen, and variety of

personality traits represented.

9 Joe thinks he may have included an extraneous idea in the second paragraph (sentences

9–16). Which sentence, if any, should he delete from this paragraph?

A Sentence 12

B Sentence 13

C Sentence 15

No sentence should be deleted from this paragraph.

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10 What is the most effective way to revise sentence 21?

F These are called breaks, and when surfers find one, they paddle their surfboards out into

it and patiently wait for the perfect wave.

G These are called breaks, and when surfers find one, they paddle their surfboards out into

it because of the perfect wave they patiently wait for.

H These are called breaks, and when surfers find one, they paddle their surfboards out into

it, they patiently wait for the perfect wave.

J Sentence 21 does not need to be revised.

11 What is the most effective way to revise sentence 30?

A With more than 500 miles of coastline, people in their home state are offered ample

opportunity to surf right here in Texas.

B With more than 500 miles of coastline, Texas offers ample opportunity for people to surf

right here in their home state.

C With more than 500 miles of coastline, there is ample opportunity for people to surf right

here in their home state and in Texas.

D With more than 500 miles of coastline, ample opportunity is offered for people in Texas to

surf right here in their home state.

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Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question. Then fill in

theansweronyouranswerdocument.

Nicole

wrote the following paper in response to a class assignment. Read Nicole’s

paper and look for any corrections she should make. Then answer the questions that

follow.

A Different Kind of Princess

(1) Like many teenage girls, I had been anticipating my first homecoming

dance since elementary school. (2) I had imagined my dress, my flowers, and, of

course, my date, dressed in formal wear and ready to carry me off for an evening of

dancing and fun. (3) The real-life experience turned out completely different from

what I had pictured, although better in a strange sort of way.

(4) As I watched friends find dates for homecoming, I was initially a little

discouraged, it looked as though my first homecoming dance would be missing a key

character. (5) It seemed that no one was inclined to ask me. (6) But I soon

discovered that I wasn’t the only kid in school without a date to homecoming. (7) I

decided that I wasn’t going to allow the situation to ruin my chance of enjoying a

traditional High School experience.

(8) So several of my dateless friends and me banded together and decided to

go as a big group. (9) My older sister, who’s a hair stylist at a local salon,

volunteered to help each girl with her hair. (10) She even rounded up a friend to do

manicures and pedicures. (11) We girls had an awesome “spa day” with lot’s of

laughs but none of the pre-date jitters. (12) Before leaving for the evening, I caught

a glimpse of myself in a mirror. (13) I noticed a sparkle in my eyes, and I felt

absolutely gorgeous.

(14) We met the male members of our group for a delicious dinner at a nice

restaurant and then arrived at the dance just after it started. (15) We were soon on

the dance floor—alone at times, in pairs at other times, and as one large group by

the end. (16) When I had imagined going to the homecoming dance as a little girl, I

had pictured a Cinderella night of dancing with Prince Charming. (17) The actual

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experience turned out to be a lot more fun than that. (18) I didn’t have to stick with

one specific person, I was free to mingle and dance with anyone I wanted to! (19) I

probably could have figured out a way to bring a date to the dance, but now I’m glad

I didn’t.

(20) My first homecoming experience taught me an important life lesson.

(21) I don’t always have to do things in a conventional way. (22) I can find my own

way to have an unforgettably good time.

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12 What is the correct way to write sentence 4?

F As I watched friends find dates for homecoming, I was initially a little discouraged.

Because it looked as though my first homecoming dance would be missing a key

character.

G As I watched friends find dates for homecoming, I was initially a little discouraged. It

looked as though my first homecoming dance would be missing a key character.

H As I watched friends find dates for homecoming. I was initially a little discouraged because

it looked as though my first homecoming dance would be missing a key character.

J Sentence 4 is written correctly.

13 What change, if any, should be made in sentence 7?

A Change

that to something

B Change situation to sitaution

Change

High School to high school

Make no change

14 What

change should be made in sentence 8?

F Change me to I

G Insert a comma after together

H Change decided to decide

J No

change should be made.

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15 What change needs to be made in sentence 11?

A Change We girls to Us girls

Change

lot’s to lots

Change but none to but without none

D No change needs to be made in this sentence.

16 What

change, if any, should be made in sentence 18?

F Change one specific to no specific

G Change the comma to a semicolon

H Insert a comma after mingle

J Make no change

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Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question. Then fill in

theansweronyouranswerdocument.

A teenage hero’s courage inspired Wendy to write this paper. This is Wendy’s first

draft, and she would like you to proofread it before she turns in the final copy. As

you read the paper, look for any corrections Wendy should make. Then answer the

questions that follow.

Malala Yousafzai Addressing

the United Nations

Malala Speaks Out

(1) “We have too much homework! (2) Classes start too early!” (3) Have

you heard teenagers express these sentiments or uttered some of it yourself?

(4) Students often complain about the daily grind of public school. (5) They seldom

consider how fortunate they are to have free, easily accessible educational

opportunities. (6) Whenever you feel frustrated by hard classes or irritated by

homework, you should think about those who are denied the benefits of formal

schooling. (7) You should remember Malala Yousafzai, a girl who put her life on the

line for an education.

(8) Malala was born in Pakistan on July 12, 1997. (9) Raised in a family that

highly valued education, she attended a school that her father owned. (10) As

Malala was growing up, a group known as the Taliban gained political power in the

region where she lived. (11) The Taliban instituted harsh social policies often

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inforced by terrorist acts. (12) Their radical views included the belief that women

should be kept from all aspects of public life. (13) In January 2009 the Taliban

proclaimed that no girl could attend school. (14) Malala and other girls defied this

decree, continuing to go to class and study for tests. (15) The 11-year-old also

began writing a diary. (16) Which detailed what was happening in her region of

Pakistan. (17) The British Broadcasting Corporation soon learned about the diary

and helped Malala turn it into an online blog.

(18) As Malala’s campaign for girls’ education gained global recognition, some

members of the Taliban began to see the schoolgirl as a menace. (19) When her

father lobbied against the militant group despite receiving death threats, his courage

inspired Malala. (20) Although she had always wanted to become a doctor, she

decided to focus on politics instead. (21) She wanted to help right societies wrongs,

especially the denial of a woman’s right to an education. (22) By April 2012 she had

organized the Malala Education Foundation, a program aimed at sending poor

Pakistani girls to school.

(23) As Malala’s voice grew louder, the Taliban grew angrier. (24) Because

the group couldn’t silence the schoolgirl, who was now 15, its members took drastic

and horrible action. (25) On October 9, 2012, terrorists stormed the bus Malala and

her friends were riding to school. (26) “Which one of you is Malala?” they

demanded. (27) When Malala identified herself to protect the other girls on the bus,

one of the gunmen shot her. (28) Fortunately, she recovered, and during her long

hospital stay, she continued her campaign.

(29) Malala’s story made headlines, and the Taliban’s actions shocked the

world. (30) The group had hoped to silence Malala but instead amplifyed her

message and created a global hero. (31) In 2013 she became the youngest person

ever to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

(32) On July 12, 2013, which was declared Malala Day by the United Nations,

she appeared before the international body, calling for free education for all children.

(33) The words of the young girl, spoken on her 16th birthday, will ring loudly among

those of history’s bravest heroes. (34) “I am the same Malala,” she declared.

(35) “My ambitions are the same, my hopes are the same, and my dreams are the

same.” (36) As her fight continues, Malala Yousafzai reminds world leaders “So let

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us wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty, and terrorism, and let us pick up

our books and pens. (37) They are our most powerful weapons.”

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17 What change should be made in sentence 3?

A Change teenagers to teenager’s

Change

sentiments to sentaments

Change it to them

D No change should be made.

18 How

should sentence 11 be changed?

F Change instituted to instituting

Change

policies to policy’s

Change

inforced to enforced

Sentence 11 should not be changed.

19 What

is the correct way to write sentences 15 and 16?

A The 11-year-old also began writing a diary it detailed what was happening in her region of

Pakistan.

B The 11-year-old also began writing a diary. With details about what was happening in her

region of Pakistan.

C The 11-year-old also began writing a diary that detailed what was happening in her region

of Pakistan.

D The sentences are written correctly in the paper.

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20 What change should be made in sentence 21?

F Change societies to society’s

Delete the comma

Change

woman’s to womans’

No change should be made in sentence 21.

21 What

change needs to be made in sentence 30?

A Insert a comma after Malala

Change

amplifyed to amplified

Change

global hero to Global Hero

No change needs to be made in this sentence.

22 What

change should be made in sentence 36?

F Change reminds to remind’s

Insert a comma after leaders

Change

illiteracy to ilitteracy

Insert quotation marks at the end of the sentence

BE SURE YOU HAVE RECORDED ALL OF YOUR ANSWERS

ON THE ANSWER DOCUMENT.

Page 20

WRITTEN COMPOSITION: Persuasive

Read the following quotation.

A newspaper columnist once wrote, “Maturity

has more to do with what types of experiences

you’ve had, and what you’ve learned from

them, and less to do with how many birthdays

you’ve celebrated.”

Is it necessary to have lived a certain number of years to be considered mature? Think carefully

about this question.

Write an essay stating your opinion on whether maturity is dependent on a person’s age.

Be sure to —

• state your position clearly

• use appropriate organization

• provide specific support for your argument

• choose your words carefully

• edit your writing for grammar, mechanics, and spelling

Page 21

USE THIS PREWRITING PAGE TO

PLAN YOUR COMPOSITION.

MAKE SURE THAT YOU WRITE YOUR COMPOSITION ON

THE LINED PAGE

IN THE ANSWER DOCUMENT.

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USE THIS PREWRITING PAGE TO

PLAN YOUR COMPOSITION.

MAKE SURE THAT YOU WRITE YOUR COMPOSITION ON

THE LINED PAGE

IN THE ANSWER DOCUMENT.

Page 23

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READING

Page 25

Read the next two selections and answer the questions that follow.

from

A Train Trip

by Ernest Hemingway

In the short story “A Train Trip,” Jimmy and his father leave their cabin and take a

long train trip. In this excerpt, they prepare for their journey.

1 “I’m all ready.”

2 “Where are we going?”

3 “We’re going a long way.”

4 “Where to?”

5 “Canada.”

6 “We’ll go there too,” he said. We went out to the kitchen. All the shutters

were closed and there was a lamp on the table. In the middle of the room was a

suitcase, a duffel bag, and two rucksacks. “Sit down at the table,” my father

said. He brought the frying pan and the coffee pot from the stove and sat down

beside me and we ate ham and eggs and drank coffee with condensed cream in

it.

7 “Eat all you can.”

8 “I’m full.”

9 “Eat that other egg.” He lifted the egg that was left in the pan with the

pancake turner and put it on my plate. The edges were crisped from the bacon

fat. I ate it and looked around the kitchen. If I was going away I wanted to

remember it and say good-bye. In the corner the stove was rusty and half the

lid was broken off the hot water reservoir. Above the stove there was a

wooden-handled dish mop stuck in the edge of one of the rafters. My father

threw it at a bat one evening. He left it there to remind him to get a new one

and afterwards I think to remind him of the bat. I caught the bat in the landing

net and kept him in a box with a screen over it for a while. He had tiny eyes and

tiny teeth and he kept himself folded in the box. We let him loose down on the

shore of the lake in the dark and he flew out over the lake, flying very lightly

and with flutters and flew down close over the water and then high and turned

and flew over us and back into the trees in the dark. There were two kitchen

tables, one that we ate on and one we did dishes on. They were both covered

with oilcloth. There was a tin bucket for carrying lake water to fill the reservoir

and a granite bucket for well water. There was a roller towel on the pantry door

and dish towels on a rack over the stove. The broom was in the corner. The

wood box was half full and all the pans were hanging against the wall.

10 I looked all around the kitchen to remember it and I was awfully fond of it.

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11 “Well,” said my father. “Do you think you’ll remember it?”

12 “I think so.”

13 “And what will you remember?”

14 “All the fun we’ve had.”

15 “Not just filling the wood box and hauling water?”

16 “That’s not hard.”

17 “No,” he said. “That’s not hard. Aren’t you sorry to go away?”

18 “Not if we’re going to Canada.”

19 “We won’t stay there.”

20 “Won’t we stay there a while?”

21 “Not very long.”

22 “Where do we go then?”

23 “We’ll see.”

24 “I don’t care where we go,” I said.

25 “That’s good,” he said. “Now you go outdoors and climb up on the ladder

and put the bucket on the chimney and I’ll lock up.”

26 I went outside. It was still dark but along the edge of the hills it was

lightening. The ladder was leaning against the roof and I found the old berry pail

beside the woodshed and climbed the ladder. The leather soles of my shoes felt

insecure and slippery on the rungs. I put the bucket over the top of the stove

pipe to keep out the rain and to keep squirrels and chipmunks from climbing in.

From the roof I looked down through the trees to the lake. Looking down on the

other side was the woodshed roof, the fence and the hills. It was lighter than

when I started to climb the ladder and it was cold and very early in the morning.

I looked at the trees and the lake again to remember them and all around; at

the hills in back and the woods off on the other side of the house and down

again at the woodshed roof and I loved them all very much, the woodshed and

the fence and the hills and the woods and I wished we were just going on a

fishing trip and not going away. I heard the door shut and my father put all the

bags out on the ground. Then he locked the door. I started down the ladder.

27 “Jimmy,” my father said.

28 “Yes.”

29 “How is it up there on the roof?”

30 “I’m coming down.”

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31 “Go on up. I’m coming up a minute,” he said and climbed up very slowly

and carefully. He looked all around the way I had done. “I don’t want to go

either,” he said.

32 “Why do we have to go?”

33 “I don’t know,” he said. “But we do.”

Reprinted with the permission of Scribner Publishing Group from THE COMPLETE SHORT STORIES OF ERNEST

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from

Wild

by Cheryl Strayed

1 I am technically fifteen days older than the Pacific Crest Trail. I was born in

1968, on September 17, and the trail was officially designated by an act of

Congress on October 2 of that same year. The trail existed in various forms long

before that—sections of it having been forged and pieced together since the

1930s, when a band of hikers and wilderness enthusiasts first took interest in

creating a Mexico-to-Canada trail—but it wasn’t until 1968 that the PCT was

designated and not until 1993 that it was complete. It was officially dedicated

almost exactly two years before I woke that first morning among the Joshua

trees that had stabbed me. The trail didn’t feel two years old to me. It didn’t

even feel like it was about my age. It felt ancient. Knowing. Utterly and

profoundly indifferent to me.

2 I woke at dawn but couldn’t bring myself to so much as sit up for an hour,

lingering instead in my sleeping bag while reading my guidebook, still drowsy,

though I’d slept for twelve hours—or at least I’d been reclining that long. The

wind had awakened me repeatedly throughout the night, smacking against my

tent in great bursts, sometimes hard enough so the walls whipped up against

my head. It died down a few hours before dawn, but then it was something else

that woke me: the silence. The irrefutable proof that I was out here in the great

alone.

3 I crawled out of my tent and stood slowly, my muscles stiff from yesterday’s

hike, my bare feet tender on the rocky dirt. I still wasn’t hungry, but I forced

myself to eat breakfast, scooping two spoonfuls of a powdered soy substance

called Better Than Milk into one of my pots and stirring water into it before

adding granola. It didn’t taste better than milk to me. Or worse. It didn’t taste

like anything. I might as well have been eating grass. My taste buds had

seemingly gone numb. I continued to press the spoon into my mouth anyway.

I’d need the nutrition for the long day ahead. I drank the last of the water in my

bottles and awkwardly refilled them from my dromedary bag, which flopped

heavily in my hands. According to The Pacific Crest Trail, Volume I: California,I

was thirteen miles away from my first water source: Golden Oak Springs, which,

in spite of yesterday’s poor showing, I expected to reach by day’s end.

4 I loaded my pack the way I had the day before in the motel, cramming and

wedging things in until nothing more would fit, then attaching the rest by

bungee cords to the outside. It took me an hour to break camp and set off.

Almost immediately I stepped over a small pile of scat on the trail, a few feet

from where I’d been sleeping. It was black as tar. A coyote, I hoped. Or was it a

mountain lion? I searched the dirt for tracks, but saw none. I scanned the

landscape, ready to see a large feline face among the sagebrush and rocks.

5 I began to walk, feeling experienced in a way I hadn’t the day before, less

cautious with each step in spite of the scat, stronger beneath my pack. That

strength crumbled within fifteen minutes, as I ascended and then ascended

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some more, pushing into the rocky mountains, walking switchback after

switchback. My pack’s frame creaked behind me with each step, straining from

the weight. The muscles of my upper back and shoulders were bound in tense,

hot knots. Every so often, I stopped and bent over to brace my hands against

my knees and shift the pack’s weight off my shoulders for a moment of relief

before staggering on.

6 By noon I was up over 6,000 feet and the air had cooled, the sun suddenly

disappearing behind clouds. Yesterday it had been hot in the desert, but now I

shivered as I ate my lunch of a protein bar and dried apricots, my

sweat-drenched T-shirt growing cold on my back. I dug the fleece jacket out of

my clothing bag and put it on. Afterwards, I lay down on my tarp to rest for a

few minutes and, without meaning to, fell asleep.

7 I woke to raindrops falling on my face and looked at my watch. I’d slept for

nearly two hours. I hadn’t dreamed of anything, hadn’t had any awareness that

I’d been sleeping at all, as if instead someone had come up behind me and

knocked me unconscious with a rock. When I sat up I saw that I was engulfed in

a cloud, the mist so impenetrable I couldn’t see beyond a few feet. I cinched on

my pack and continued hiking through the light rain, though my whole body felt

as if it were pushing through deep water with each step. I bunched up my

T-shirt and shorts to cushion the spots on my hips and back and shoulders that

were being rubbed raw by my pack, but that only made it worse.

8 I continued up, into the late afternoon and evening, unable to see anything

except what was immediately before me. I wasn’t thinking of snakes, as I’d

been the day before. I wasn’t thinking, I’m hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail.I

wasn’t even thinking, What have I gotten myself into? I was thinking only of

moving myself forward. My mind was a crystal vase that contained only that one

desire. My body was its opposite: a bag of broken glass. Every time I moved, it

hurt. I counted my steps to take my mind off the pain, silently ticking the

numbers off in my head to one hundred before starting over again. The blocks

of numbers made the walk slightly more bearable, as if I only had to go to the

end of each one.

9 As I ascended, I realized I didn’t understand what a mountain was, or even if I

was hiking up one mountain or a series of them glommed together. I’d not

grown up around mountains. I’d walked on a few, but only on well-trod paths on

day hikes. They’d seemed to be nothing more than really big hills. But they were

not that. They were, I now realized, layered and complex, inexplicable and

analogous to nothing. Each time I reached the place that I thought was the top

of the mountain or the series of mountains glommed together, I was wrong.

There was still more up to go, even if first there was a tiny slope that went

tantalizingly down. So up I went until I reached what really was the top. I knew

it was the top because there was snow. Not on the ground, but falling from the

sky, in thin flakes that swirled in mad patterns, pushed by the wind.

10 I hadn’t expected it to rain in the desert, and I certainly hadn’t expected it to

snow. As with the mountains, there’d been no deserts where I grew up, and

though I’d gone on day hikes in a couple of them, I didn’t really understand

what deserts were. I’d taken them to be dry, hot, and sandy places full of

Page 30

snakes, scorpions, and cactuses. They were not that. They were that and also a

bunch of other things. They were layered and complex and inexplicable and

analogous to nothing. My new existence was beyond analogy, I realized on that

second day on the trail.

11 I was in entirely new terrain.

Cheryl Strayed. Used by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of

Page 31

Use “A Train Trip” (pp. 26–28) to answer questions 23–28. Then fill in the

answers on your answer document.

23 What detail is left unresolved at the end of the selection?

A Whether the cabin will be secured after Jimmy and his father leave

B Whether Jimmy can fully accept his father’s authority

C Jimmy’s feelings about leaving the cabin

The final destination for Jimmy and his father

24 The author most likely includes the anecdote about the bat in paragraph 9 to develop the

theme of —

F protecting the natural environment

G showing respect for the older generation

H cherishing particular memories

J gaining personal freedom

25 Read this sentence from paragraph 26.

The leather soles of my shoes felt insecure and

slippery on the rungs.

The author’s use of the first-person point of view —

A reveals Jimmy’s youthful idealism

B shows Jimmy’s fearless determination

C helps the reader understand that Jimmy is unreliable

allows the reader to identify with Jimmy’s vulnerability

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26 What is Jimmy’s primary dilemma?

F He must choose between being obedient to his father and being true to himself.

G He must reconcile the difference between his father’s cynical worldview and his own

beliefs.

H He must accept that he has to leave the cabin despite his strong desire to stay.

He must resolve his conflicted feelings about what will happen after he leaves the cabin.

Read the dialogue in paragraphs 11 through 24. When considered with this dialogue, which

sentence reveals that Jimmy is hiding his true feelings from his father?

A I wished we were just going on a fishing trip and not going away.

B I looked all around the kitchen to remember it and I was awfully fond of it.

C It was still dark but along the edge of the hills it was lightening.

D It was lighter than when I started to climb the ladder and it was cold and very early in the

morning.

28 In paragraph 9, the description of the kitchen serves to —

F emphasize the unpleasantness of Jimmy’s living conditions

G reveal Jimmy’s strong emotional attachment to the cabin

H show that Jimmy feels lonely in this remote setting

J imply that Jimmy hopes his circumstances are improving

Page 33

tender \

ten-d r\

adj

1. showing gentleness and concern

or sympathy 2. sensitive to pain

3. young, immature, and

vulnerable 4. requiring tact or

careful handling

Use Wild (pp. 29–31) to answer questions 29–34. Then fill in the answers

on your answer document.

29 Read the following dictionary entry.

Which definition best matches the use of the word tender in paragraph 3?

A Definition 1

B Definition 2

C Definition 3

Definition 4

30 In paragraph 8, the author uses glass as a metaphor to show her —

F intense anger

G deep personal regret

H vision problems

extreme physical agony

Page 34

31 In paragraph 4, the author’s attitude about being near wildlife is —

A terrified

B pleased

C cautious

irritated

In which quotation does the author use descriptive language to show her unexpected awe?

F I crawled out of my tent and stood slowly, my muscles stiff from yesterday’s hike, my

bare feet tender on the rocky dirt.

G My pack’s frame creaked behind me with each step, straining from the weight. The

muscles of my upper back and shoulders were bound in tense, hot knots.

H I knew it was the top because there was snow. Not on the ground, but falling from the

sky, in thin flakes that swirled in mad patterns, pushed by the wind.

J By noon I was up over 6,000 feet and the air had cooled, the sun suddenly disappearing

behind clouds.

Page 35

33 Paragraph 10 builds upon the theme of —

A discovering how close humans are to nature

B rejecting modernity for a simpler way of living

C finding a sanctuary from society by retreating into nature

gaining a new perspective by undergoing a challenging experience

34 In paragraph 1, the author details the history of the Pacific Crest Trail to —

F show the sacrifices that were necessary to complete the trail

G imply that it took an unreasonable amount of time to create the trail

H contrast how new the completed trail is with how old it feels to her

emphasize that the trail’s history is not as interesting to her as the trail itself is

Page 36

Use “A Train Trip” and Wild to answer questions 35–38. Then fill in the

answers on your answer document.

35 Read these quotations from the two selections.

“And what will you remember?”

“All the fun we’ve had.”

“Not just filling the wood box and

hauling water?”

“That’s not hard.”

“No,” he said. “That’s not hard. Aren’t

you sorry to go away?”

“Not if we’re going to Canada.”

A Train Trip

I began to walk, feeling experienced

in a way I hadn't the day before, less

cautious with each step in spite of the

scat, stronger beneath my pack.

Wild

In both quotations, the narrators display —

A optimism

B a need for approval

C a lack of self-worth

D self-doubt

36 What do the narrators of both selections have in common?

F They both show signs of being physically exhausted.

G They both exhibit some reluctance to proceed on a journey.

H They both experience deep feelings of regret.

They both test the limits of their endurance.

Page 37

37 In both selections, food is described as something —

A the narrators consume out of necessity

B the narrators find completely unappealing

C that represents love and caring

that is in limited supply

38 Although the authors of the selections write in different styles, both of them make use of —

F short sentences

G occasional dialogue

H third-person narration

vivid descriptions

BE SURE YOU HAVE RECORDED ALL OF YOUR ANSWERS

ON THE ANSWER DOCUMENT.

Page 38

SHORT ANSWER #1

DIRECTIONS

Answer the following question in the box labeled “Short Answer #1” on page 4 of

your answer document.

In the excerpts from “A Train Trip” and Wild, how do the narrators feel about their journeys?

Explain your answer and support it with evidence from both selections.

BE SURE YOU HAVE WRIT TEN YOUR ANSWER

ON PAGE 4 OF THE ANSWER DOCUMENT.

Page 39

Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question. Then fill in

theansweronyouranswerdocument.

Is Texting Killing the English Language?

by John McWhorter

TIME magazine

April 25, 2013

www.cartoonstock.com

1 Texting has long been bemoaned as the downfall of the written word,

“penmanship for illiterates,” as one critic called it. To which the proper response

is LOL. Texting properly isn’t writing at all—it’s actually more akin to spoken

language. And it’s a “spoken” language that is getting richer and more complex

by the year.

2 First, some historical perspective. Writing was only invented 5,500 years ago,

whereas language probably traces back at least 80,000 years. Thus talking

came first; writing is just an artifice that came along later. As such, the first

writing was based on the way people talk, with short sentences. However, while

talk is largely subconscious and rapid, writing is deliberate and slow. Over time,

writers took advantage of this and started crafting tapeworm sentences such as

this one, from TheDeclineand Fall of theRoman Empire: “The whole

engagement lasted above 12 hours, till the gradual retreat of the Persians was

changed into a disorderly flight, of which the shameful example was given by

the principal leaders and the Surenas himself.”

Page 40

3 No one talks like that casually—or should. But it is natural to desire to do so for

special occasions, and that’s what oratory is, like the grand-old kinds of

speeches that William Jennings Bryan delivered. In the old days, we didn’t much

write like talking because there was no mechanism to reproduce the speed of

conversation. But texting and instant messaging do—and a revolution has

begun. It involves the brute mechanics of writing, but in its economy,

spontaneity and even vulgarity, texting is actually a new kind of talking. There is

a virtual cult of concision and little interest in capitalization or punctuation. The

argument that texting is “poor writing” is analogous, then, to one that the

Rolling Stones is “bad music” because it doesn’t use violas.

4 Texting is developing its own kind of grammar. Take LOL. It doesn’t actually

mean “laughing out loud” in a literal sense anymore. LOL has evolved into

something much subtler and sophisticated and is used even when nothing is

remotely amusing. Jocelyn texts “Where have you been?” and Annabelle texts

back “LOL at the library studying for two hours.” LOL signals basic empathy

between texters, easing tension and creating a sense of equality. Instead of

having a literal meaning, it does something—conveying an attitude—just like the

-ed ending conveys past tense rather than “meaning” anything. LOL,ofall

things, is grammar.

5 Of course no one thinks about that consciously. But then most of communication

operates below the radar. Over time, the meaning of a word or an expression

drifts—meat used to mean any kind of food, silly used to mean, believe it or not,

blessed.

6 Civilization, then, is fine—people banging away on their smartphones are

fluently using a code separate from the one they use in actual writing, and there

is no evidence that texting is ruining composition skills. Worldwide people speak

differently from the way they write, and texting—quick, casual and only

intended to be read once—is actually a way of talking with your fingers.

7 All indications are that America’s youth are doing it quite well. Texting, far from

being a scourge, is a work in progress.

“Is Texting Killing the English Language?” by John McWhorter, TIME, April 25, 2013. Adapted from McWhorter’s talk at

TED 2013. Used by permission of the author.

Page 41

Teen Texting

Love it or hate it, texting is here to stay. A 2012 survey by the Pew

Research Center found that:

• about 75% of teens text, and about 23% of teens have smartphones

• about 63% of teens text family and friends every day, which is a far

greater percentage than those who communicate daily by phone,

e-mail, or face-to-face conversation

• teens identified as heavy texters, or those who send more than 100

texts per day, are also more likely to talk on their cell phone daily

So what do English teachers think about all this teen texting? Some

have tried to turn it to their advantage by incorporating activities such

as having students translate literary passages into text messages as a

way of demonstrating comprehension.

Page 42

39 In paragraphs 6 and 7, the author makes generalizations to suggest that texting —

A does not require skill

B causes no harm

C helps build relationships

should be studied more

40 In paragraph 3, the author presents a concept. In the next paragraph, the author —

F shows how the concept is flawed

G provides reasons why people are skeptical of the concept

H shows how similar the concept is to other concepts

provides an example that supports the concept

41 According to the article, what happens to language over time?

A Formal writing and spoken language become more similar.

B Sentence constructions no longer follow specific rules.

C Words develop new definitions.

Spoken language becomes more literal.

Page 43

42 Which sentence best expresses the article’s main idea?

F No one talks like that casually—or should.

G Texting has long been bemoaned as the downfall of the written word, “penmanship for

illiterates,” as one critic called it.

H Of course no one thinks about that consciously.

Texting, far from being a scourge, is a work in progress.

43 What is the overall message of the boxed information about teen texting?

A Teachers are concerned about teen texting.

B Teens text on a frequent basis.

C Teens prefer texting to other activities.

Texting is interfering with face-to-face interaction among teens.

Page 44

Read the selection and choose the best answer to each question. Then fill in

theansweronyouranswerdocument.

Hot Bread Kitchen

by Gabbi Chee

Southwest Airlines Spirit Magazine

July 2012

Hot Bread Kitchen’s Retail Space in La Marqueta, East Harlem

1 At all hours of the day, white-aproned bakers bustle about the cement floor of

Hot Bread Kitchen, tossing flour across butcher-block tables, loading metal trays

with bulging, hand-shaped loaves, and shifting steaming, fresh bread to cooling

racks. The only bodies at rest in this New York City bakery are pans of rising

loaves, waiting to be hoisted into the oven. The skilled bakers turn out an

eclectic array—around 25 varieties ranging from classic French baguettes to

crisp Armenian lavash crackers—which they sell at farmers’ markets and

gourmet stores across the five boroughs. But Hot Bread Kitchen is more than an

artisanal bakery: It’s a nonprofit designed to give foreign-born women and

minority entrepreneurs the skills and support they need to establish careers in

the culinary arts. Overseeing daily operation of the place—and often rolling up

her own shirtsleeves to pitch in—is 35-year-old founder and CEO Jessamyn

Rodriguez.

2 By blending her lifelong passion for social justice and great food, Rodriguez says

she has created her dream job. The idea for Hot Bread Kitchen came to her in a

slip of the tongue. “I interviewed at a microfinance organization called Women’s

World Banking,” she says. “I was telling a friend about the job, and he heard

Women’s World Baking.” The image of women from around the globe baking

bread together remained firmly engrained in her mind for the next decade. And

while Rodriguez pursued her career in public service (which included stints with

Page 45

the Canadian government and the United Nations), that mental picture slowly

fermented into reality. She moonlighted at a bakery and earned a master baker

certificate. Then, in 2008, she took the leap. “I quit my job and put it all into

Hot Bread Kitchen,” she says.

3 Rodriguez launched the bakery in the small Brooklyn apartment she shared with

roommates, hiring two immigrant women as her first bakers. “I was definitely

forging new ground, and we faced a lot of skeptics,” she says of those early

days. “But for every person who questioned it, there were five people who were

interested in supporting us.” Today, Hot Bread Kitchen employs a staff of 35 and

occupies a nearly 5,000-square-foot space (part of which it rents out to

entrepreneurs looking to grow their small food businesses) in La Marqueta, a

public market in East Harlem.

Staff of Hot Bread Kitchen

4 The women who bake and package Hot Bread Kitchen’s offerings range in age

from 21 to 60. Hailing from lands such as Chad, Haiti, Nepal, and the Dominican

Republic, some have lived in the U.S. for as little as a year. Others, including

production manager Antonia Garcia, who is originally from Puebla, Mexico, have

called America home for more than a decade. These women’s diverse

homelands are reflected in many of the bakery’s products, like heritage tortillas

and the wildly popular m’smen, a buttery Moroccan flatbread.

5 Since its humble beginnings, Hot Bread Kitchen has trained 27 women from 12

countries. They receive paid, on-the-job experience, as well as courses in

kitchen math, bakery sciences, and English as part of a yearlong training

program funded by product sales and charitable donations. Several graduates

have been promoted to managerial positions at the bakery, where they now

supervise incoming trainees. Two have baked at chef Daniel Boulud’s

three-Michelin-starred restaurant, Daniel.

Michelin issues awards for excellence to restaurants, with three stars being the highest rating.

Page 46

6 The program has far surpassed Rodriguez’s original hopes. “We’ve grown faster

than I ever expected,” she says. Hot Bread Kitchen is set to open its very own

storefront at La Marqueta this month. But the bakery isn’t finished rising:

Rodriguez has plans to expand her organization to five other U.S. cities. “It’s

been a lot of hard work,” she says. “Hard work balanced with the most

satisfying, amazing moments.”

“Hot Bread Kitchen” by Gabbi Chee, Spirit Magazine, July 2012. Reprinted by permission.

Page 47

44 Which phrase has the same meaning as the word moonlighted in paragraph 2?

F Went back to school

G Started a new career

H Worked a second job

Pursued a lifelong dream

45 Which detail best supports the idea that the mission of Hot Bread Kitchen has public support?

A Rodriguez had to move the business from her apartment to La Marqueta.

B Charitable contributions help fund the bakery’s training program.

C Entrepreneurs rent space from the bakery to run their businesses.

Some of the bakery’s former trainees now hold managerial positions.

Read this sentence from paragraph 1.

At all hours of the day, white-aproned bakers

bustle about the cement floor of Hot Bread

Kitchen, tossing flour across butcher-block

tables, loading metal trays with bulging,

hand-shaped loaves, and shifting steaming,

fresh bread to cooling racks.

The descriptive language in this sentence emphasizes the —

F constant activity of skilled workers

G complicated process of making fresh baked goods

H many different types of equipment used in bakeries

difficult working conditions of bakery employees

Page 48

47 The author establishes the cultural diversity of Hot Bread Kitchen by describing —

A the bakery’s development since 2008

B the backgrounds of the employees

C the courses offered to employees

the bakery’s location at La Marqueta

What is the main idea of the article?

F Jessamyn Rodriguez’s bakery, Hot Bread Kitchen, is a successful nonprofit business that

provides professional opportunities for immigrant women.

G The hardworking women at Hot Bread Kitchen have helped it grow from a small nonprofit

organization into a large, successful business that will expand into several cities.

H Jessamyn Rodriguez created her dream job when she established Hot Bread Kitchen after

a long career in public service.

J The products of Hot Bread Kitchen, which include many different types of bread, reflect

the diverse backgrounds of its employees.

Page 49

49 Which sentence best supports Rodriguez’s claim that running Hot Bread Kitchen has been

hard work?

A Overseeing daily operation of the place—and often rolling up her own shirtsleeves to pitch

in—is 35-year-old founder and CEO Jessamyn Rodriguez.

B Rodriguez launched the bakery in the small Brooklyn apartment she shared with

roommates, hiring two immigrant women as her first bakers.

C And while Rodriguez pursued her career in public service (which included stints with the

Canadian government and the United Nations), that mental picture slowly fermented into

reality.

D By blending her lifelong passion for social justice and great food, Rodriguez says she has

created her dream job.

50 What does the photograph of the retail space emphasize?

F The large size of the area where goods are sold

G How the employees are trained

H The friendliness of the service provided

J How expensive the goods are

BE SURE YOU HAVE RECORDED ALL OF YOUR ANSWERS

ON THE ANSWER DOCUMENT.

Page 50

SHORT ANSWER #2

DIRECTIONS

Answer the following question in the box labeled “Short Answer #2” on page 6 of

your answer document.

In “Hot Bread Kitchen,” how does Jessamyn Rodriguez benefit from her work at the bakery?

Support your answer with evidence from the selection.

BE SURE YOU HAVE WRIT TEN YOUR ANSWER

ON PAGE 6 OF THE ANSWER DOCUMENT.

STOP

Page 51

STAAR

English II

March 2016